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12.12.2014

Conference on New Security Challenges in Southeast Europe

Rakitje (RACVIAC), Croatia - Between 10–12 December 2014, DCAF contributed to the »Conference on New Security Challenges in Southeast Europe«, co-organised by the RACVIAC Centre for Security Cooperation and the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung in Rakitje, Croatia. Policy practitioners and researchers from EU Member States and EU Candidate and Potential Candidate Countries and international organisations discussed the most relevant occurring security challenges for Europe and their strategic implications for the SEE countries with EU perspective. Panels covered energy security, the need for diversification in view of new strategico-political environment and the opportunities for the European Energy Union; the migration challenge for the SEE region and related EU policies; the financial crisis and its implications for military capabilities; and the regional path towards Schengen. In the last panel, Ms Jelka Klemenc, M.A., gave a keynote presentation on the strategic aspects of Schengen, the most recent influence of the threat of terrorism and foreign fighters on Schengen cooperation at the EU level and the implications of security threats on future enlargement of the Schengen area. She presented on some prominent instruments of regional cooperation today, which aim to strengthen the integrity of regional borders, bring the SEE closer to the fulfilment of Schengen criteria, conduct peer-to-peer security cooperation with neighbouring EU Member States, and focus on national capacities in countering regional security threats.